Stories We All Should Know: Our Lady of Olives

It drew me like a magnet as I waiting in an endless line at an antique mall filled with treasures just outside Charlotte, N.C. Right by the checkout line, pinned to a vintage white fabric dress form, was a collection of blue and white plaid ribbons with various charms hanging from each. The sign above them read: “Purchased from a Spanish flea market.”

But the one that caught my eye wasn’t a charm at all; it was a medal. Upon closer inspection, it had the Sacred Heart on one side and a picture of the Madonna on the other. I had never seen this particular depiction before so I examined the inscription, which read: “Our Lady of Olives, pray for us.” The thought of that medal landing on the charm bracelet of someone who didn’t appreciate what it meant was enough to make me overcome any momentary hesitation about buying a potentially blessed object and fork over the $7. By the time I had it blessed by our priest the following Sunday, I had discovered the amazing story behind the medal.

According to the story, in the year 1493 a church in the French village of Murat was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The one thing that miraculously survived the fire was a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. To this day, the belief is that anyone who carries the medal will be preserved from lightning, as is the French town that once was so grievously struck. The medal is also said to protect and assist women who are going through childbirth.

But what is the connection between the statue that survived this fire and olives? For that, we reach back to the Bible and medieval writings, where olive trees are described as symbols of blessings, prosperity and strength, used to describe the fruit of good works, and represent reconciliation with God. It seems only natural, then, that the olive began to be associated with the Virgin Mary throughout Europe – particularly in France, Italy and Spain. Pope Leo XIII made the title “Our Lady of Olives” official in an apostolic brief of May, 10, 1878, and she was crowned on June 18, 1881.

Aside from the beauty of the medal itself, the prayer to Our Lady of Olives seems especially appropriate for today’s turbulent times. This version comes from the International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton:

Prayer to Our Lady of Olives

Kneeling at thy feet, we pray thee Virgin Mary, that through thine intercession, there may be borne a new generation who will unite all hearts and souls in the same faith and the same charity. 

We pray thee "Divine Olive of Peace," to implore God that harmony may reign between nations, that true liberty be given to all people, that heresies and all bad doctrines condemned by the Pope may disappear.

We pray that all the treasures of the Divine Heart be showered upon all men and that we be preserved from all harm.

Pray for us, help us and save us. Amen.

As Catholics, we are blessed to share a rich and vibrant heritage that has accumulated over literally thousands of years. Over time, many of these stories have been sadly neglected or just not passed on as much as they once were. Please do your part to keep our faith traditions alive.